The More I See You
by sirwharf
Summary: After the death of her ex fiancé, Caroline Salvatore flies to New York to start over again and unexpectedly meets the pompous CEO of Mikaelson Holdings, not knowing that it was the start of something they weren't ever going to get out of.
1. Chapter 1

**First**

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I own nothing but the plot and any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental.

Also, thank you to my close friend for designing the cover photo.

* * *

_Eight months later_

The loud echoes of cries woke her up from her deep slumber, eyes fluttering open instantaneously and body moving in accord to her usual morning routines. She was like a robot, tuned to the very rhythm of motherhood.

She scowled as she ran a hand through her mess of hair, throwing her covers aside to tend to the wailing coming from downstairs—wait, what?

The realization of where the sound was coming from hit her like a ton of bricks, allowing her to ignore the insecurity of what she looked like and instead sprint down the hall, almost tripping on the marble staircase and injuring herself on the way.

'Good morning, Ms. Caroline,' one of the maids cleaning the bannister greeted, obviously stifling the laughter threatening to spill at the cirque du soleil act that had almost taken place. 'Charlie and James are with your brother, having breakfast in the Gazebo.'

'Oh,' she suddenly felt stupid for panicking, knowing that nothing bad would ever happen to her babies as long as they stayed in the confines of the Salvatore Mansion. 'Thank you, Cecile.'

Cecile nodded with a smile before going back to her previous chores.

Despite feeling better about her infants' whereabouts, she still albeit proceeded to head to the garden, at the same time realizing it to be the first time Stefan took his nephews there for breakfast.

She pushed the overly massive mahogany french doors that lead to the backyard open, immediately spotting her two boys sitting on their highchairs while a nanny tended to them in the Gazebo and her older brother busy devouring his favourite platter of early morning eggs and bacon after his daily morning swim.

'Morning, boys,' she greeted, each kissing the crown of their heads. 'And man.'

The boys cooed and flashed a toothless grin, making everyone by the table laugh.

Stefan raised a brow. 'Did you forget to comb your hair or is that some new lawyer hairstyle I haven't heard of?'

She rolled her eyes, sitting on the chair adjacent to his. 'Why are you having breakfast out here?'

'Nothing special,' he said vaguely.

She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing him better than that. 'Either Dad's back, because he loves eating out here or there's a new hot maid who you want to show off your body to. Which one is it?'

He chuckled, shaking his head at his sister's imaginations. 'Just eat, Caroline.'

She huffed, but proceeded to do what he asked anyway.

Soon enough, the answer to her question finally appeared and it was safe to say that she would have rather there be a hot new maid for Stefan than have him be back.

'Damon,' she scowled, greeting him with the hardest glare she could muster.

Like it has always been, he ignored her presence and instead wrapped his arms around Stefan. 'Brother.'

'Dad said you're moving back in?' Stefan asked, trying not to look at Caroline who was obviously fuming behind Damon.

'I finally found someone to run Salvatore Enterprises in Prague,' Damon informed him. 'So I'll be running the business from the main tower again.'

'That's great!' Stefan beamed. 'I was getting tired of handling business on this end. I wanna be back on the field.'

'I know,' Damon smirked, picking up one of his nephews. 'I've heard so many things about you guys. Grandpa sure does talk a lot, doesn't he?'

Caroline almost teared up at the scene before her. It was such a privilege to see her brother accept her babies in the way that he never accepted her and her mother. He hated her ever since she was born and he has always made it clear, so it was really such a sight to behold to see that he wasn't going to treat Charles and James the same way he had treated her before and even now.

'How the fuck do you know which one is which?' Damon laughed, glancing at Stefan.

'That's Charles, well, Charlie,' Stefan chuckled. 'You'll know because he has blue eyes like Caroline. James on the other hand has green. Don't worry, you'll remember it too.'

Caroline decided that as long as Damon treated them right and loved them the way Stefan did, they wouldn't have any problem.

Damon put down Charles and carried James, trying his hardest to make the little boy giggle endlessly by blowing raspberries on his stomach.

Stefan glanced at Caroline and smiled, the two of them have been dreading this moment ever since and it was such a relief to have been wrong about the whole thing.

'It's okay,' Stefan mouthed.

Caroline nodded, a genuine smile making its way on her face.

* * *

Caroline was hardworking, passionate and very organized. There was nothing she couldn't do, and everyone who knew her knew that well. She was the best at what she did and even graduated Valedictorian both in High School and College, but as it turns out… there were many Caroline's in this world, and they too, were all intent on becoming Gilbert & Pierce's number one defense lawyer.

A princess she was at home, the opposite it was at work.

If she was being truthful, she could've been at the finish line by now just because she was a Salvatore, but she chose to work hard and strive for success just like everyone else. In the end, she wanted to be at the top because of her own perseverance and determination.

It was one of the main reasons as to why she was never on the face of magazines and TV headlines like her brothers, Damon who ran Salvatore Global Enterprises and Stefan who lead Salvatore Medical Group.

'Earth to Caroline?'

She was brought out of her musings by the sound of her colleague's voice who looks like she's been waving her hand in front of her face for a few minutes now.

'Sorry,' she laughed, shaking her head. 'I was out of it. Hi Bonnie, what do you need?'

'Just wanted to know if you wanted to have lunch with the rest of us?' Bonnie laughed, understanding her situation. It happened to a lot of them too.

'I'd love to, but I have so much stuff to do. Miranda Gilbert's case is far from over and I'm handling her paperwork,' Caroline sighed, wishing she had time to chill and enjoy the company of one of the few friends she's made ever since she started working at G&P six months ago. 'Thank you for asking, Bonnie.'

Bonnie pouted, crossing her arms. 'Guess what I'm doing? Running around with her son and trying to teach him the basics. At least his sister's already working on her first case.'

'Elena Gilbert? I thought she was quitting law school and joining her sister on her cruise?' Caroline raised a brow. Last she's heard of the Elena was three months ago from her own mother's lips and it wasn't something a daughter wanted to hear.

'Me too!' Bonnie squealed, immediately covering her mouth a few seconds later after realizing somebody might tattle on their gossip. 'Katherine's back too and I know you haven't met her yet, but she's such a bitch.'

'Isn't she Elena's twin?' She chuckled.

'Come on, they couldn't have been any more different!' Bonnie shook her head. 'You'll see, the first week she's back, the whole firm's going to be losing their minds.'

'Are you two done gossiping?'

They whipped their head 'round and almost had a heart attack, but immediately breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of one of their friends.

'You scared me, Matt!' Bonnie glared at the newcomer, slapping his arms in annoyance.

'You two shouldn't even be gossiping in the first place,' he rolled his eyes. 'The cameras up there have microphones.'

'Seriously?!' Caroline gaped.

'Nah,' Matt laughed before dragging Bonnie away and waving goodbye. 'See you later, Care!'

'You jerk!'

—

By the time Caroline was done with all her paperwork, it was almost eleven and she had only eaten one sandwich that Bonnie thankfully bought for her during their break. She was on her way home, in the middle of an empty parking lot when her old Ford Fiesta decided to break down on her, engine spurring like a mad machine and smoke entering the inside of her car.

She coughed, stepping out of the car and scowling. As if her day couldn't have gotten any worse.

She dialed Stefan's number but alas, he wasn't answering and so were the rest of her contacts. It was a Friday night. What else did she expect?

Left to fix her own mess, she popped the hood of her car and almost ran out of breath trying to escape the sudden carbon fumes that surrounded her. She ran to the trunk, pulling out the fire extinguisher and tried to douse what was left of her supposedly 'in perfect condition' engine.

'Seriously?' She wheezed, blinking repeatedly.

She threw the useless can away, stepping back and retried to dial her brother at least thirteen more times before giving up and just calling a near by towing company. To her relief, out of the five she called, at least one of them had answered and told her they should be there in about another hour or so.

Deciding she could do nothing more, grabbed her things and walked out of the empty lot, glancing around for a nearby cafe she could stay at while she waited for the tow truck to hail her car away.

To make matters worse than they already were, Manhattan had suddenly started pouring hard and it wasn't for at least a mile running in her four inched heels did she find a deserted quaint cafe beside a bookstore where she now sat at a lone booth, drenched, and no more than ready to touch her iced latte and chocolate cupcake.

She wanted to break down and cry. She loved her job, but it was a little too much sometimes and days like these, it was even worse. It was hard being a working mother, but even harder to keep her dignity so she wouldn't resort to asking her father for help.

The buzzing of her smart phone pulled her out of her reverie and almost chucked her phone across the wall after seeing the flashing name on the screen.

'Where were you an hour ago?' She snapped. She knew he was probably busy, but she couldn't help but let out her anger at him. There was no one else around to yell at anyway. 'I could've been dead in a ditch somewhere and you wouldn't even know.'

'I'm sorry, Care,' Stefan laughed on the other end of the line. 'I'm having a few drinks with a couple of friends. What's wrong?'

Caroline frowned. Her brother deserved some time off, and here she was being a jerk towards the man who helped her get back on her own two feet and face the world again. 'I'm sorry, it's fine. I'm fine. Just go back to whatever it was you were doing.'

'Are you sure? Twenty missed calls? I mean, you're not in any trouble are you?' Stefan sounded concerned and she knew the moment she told him what happened, he would drop everything and be there for her, but she didn't want him to do that and so she lied and kept on lying until he conceded and finally ended the call.

'You don't look fine,'

She looked up and scowled at the stranger towering over her, trying her hardest not to get distracted by his wonderful features, striking cerulean orbs… and his familiar accent.

'Do we, in perhaps some fictional supernatural world, know each other?' She snapped, looking away.

He chuckled, sliding inside the opposing empty seat. 'I'm surprised you don't know me.'

She scoffed, the nerve of this guy. While he might've been very attractive and just about the most pleasant thing she's laid her eyes on in a while, that didn't and would never make up for his egotistical and irritable attitude.

'I'm surprised you don't know how to take a hint,' she quipped.

'I'm Niklaus Mikaelson, but you can call me Klaus,' he extended his hand for her to shake but took it back after realizing she was in no mood to shake it. 'I'm not hitting on you so don't flatter yourself, sweetheart.'

She took a deep breath, counting one to ten in her mind. He was going to make her crazy.

The ringing of her phone signaled the arrival of the tow truck and it was safe to say she couldn't have been any happier by the perfect timing. The rain seemed to have taken a halt too, and she was thankful that at least two things had turned out right this day.

'Goodbye,' she plastered a faux smile on her face, collecting her things before leaving the cafe.

He laughed, and the last thing she saw before crossing the street was him taking a bite of her untouched chocolate cupcake.

* * *

Hello reader,

_I'd just like to thank you for giving my story a chance._

_This is my first Klaroline fic, so if you like it, please leave a review telling me what you think and if I should continue._

Penn Wharf


	2. Chapter 2

Second

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I own nothing but the plot and any resemblance to other stories is purely coincidental.

Also, thank you to my close friend for designing the cover photo.

* * *

It's been three weeks since her car broke down, got towed and was sent to the best mechanic in Manhattan. It's not that she was impatient, because Caroline could wait for months on end but she needed the reassurance that her car was going to be fixed and that was something they always avoided whenever she called for an update.

She slammed the phone down on the changing table in annoyance and took James from his Nanny, the little boy nuzzling into her arms immediately. 'I think I should go there this afternoon and speak to the manager himself. Who treats their clients like that?'

James frowned, acting as though he knew what she was talking about, making her mood lighten up instantaneously. He was the only one awake this morning, Charles having been up for almost the whole night for two days in a row already.

She was worried, but Stefan had assured her that if it went on for a few more days then he would personally take his nephew to the company clinic.

The man of the hour appeared in the doorway, beaming and waving (by the looks of it) new stuffed toys for his favourite nephews up in the air. 'Look what I got them.'

She rolled her eyes. Their treasure chest was already overflowing with everything their uncle bought for them and although Caroline endlessly told him to stop, he still came home from work most of the time with the newest toy on the market.

'You already drove out to the store?' She shook her head distastefully. 'Where did you find an open toy store at this hour?'

'I got this two days ago, I just forgot about it,' he scoffed, pulling the tags off and shoving it in with the rest of the stuffed animals.

'I think we should throw away the old ones they already slobbered all over on and buy new ones,' Stefan suggested, taking James from her hold and throwing him up in the air, making the boy throw an endless fit of laughter.

She smiled. There was never a day when she would not be thankful for everything Stefan did for them. It was him who was there for them when they had no one, and even now that she was getting her life back together, he was still guiding her and doing his best to protect them without fail.

It has always been the two of them siding against Damon anyway, and he always had her back. Whenever Damon pushed her at the park, it was Stefan who picked her back up and helped her hide the worms under his pillows. They were what Giuseppe deemed 'partners in crime.'

'We could donate them,' she suggested.

'That, we could do,' he nodded, dodging James' fifth time trying to grab a fist full of his hair. 'What do you say, James? Are you willing to give your toys away?'

James started crying, startling all of them in the room. He was obviously against it, or he just really wanted to ruin Stefan's hair… Which they all knew was impossible.

Soon enough, Charles joined in on the sobbing fest and thus began the usual morning at the Salvatore Manor.

—

It was late afternoon when she decided to head out to the city and finally speak to whoever was dealing with her car. She was thankful they had a family driver, but that didn't mean she liked somebody driving her around.

Damon, who hasn't been home ever since he decided to move back just stepped out of the building, looking like he was suffering from the world's worst hangover.

He glanced her way but said nothing, disregarding her existence once again.

She decided not to let him get to her and proceeded to do what she had intended to do in the first place. Since Stefan took her twins to the park, she was now free and ready to reign hell on whoever decided to invalidate her rights.

As she made her way inside the main headquarters of the company she trusted to keep her car safe, one thing she noticed immediately was how pristine the whole area looked; from the glass wall panels, white tile floor and the mahogany reception at the end of the room.

The only sound that could be heard were the clicking of her heels and the soft jazz playing in the background.

Despite the good atmosphere she was surrounded in, that still didn't change the fact that she was here to ruin someone's day. Or was it the other way around?

'Welcome to Mikaelson Motors. I'm Mindy, how may I be of service?' The brunette behind the counter greeted, flashing her a perfect smile.

'My car got towed by your company two weeks ago and it's been in your garage ever since. I keep on calling for updates but no one wants to tell me what's happening,' she explained reasonably. 'I need to talk to whoever handles these things.'

Mindy's smile faltered. 'You went to the wrong place, Ms…'

'Caroline,' she filled in.

'Yes, Ms. Caroline, this is the main headquarters, if you need to speak to the mechanic who is in charge of your vehicle, the location of Mikaelson Auto Services is in Brooklyn,' Mindy rattled on. 'If you want, I can find the name of your mechanic and call to inform them of your arrival?'

'I don't want to speak to the mechanic,' she scowled. 'I want to speak to the boss of the mechanic.'

'The supervisor at Mikaels—'

'Just take me to someone who can help me deal with these things,' she sighed, cutting her off.

'Yes, Ms. Caroline, but the supervisor is in Brooklyn,' Mindy insisted.

'The supervisor is just going to tell me to talk to the boss. I don't know who's the boss, so Mindy, tell me,' she gritted. 'Who is your boss?'

'I am,'

She turned around and was met face to face with the owner of a familiar voice she couldn't quite place.

Her brows furrowed as she tried to remember where she saw him and why he seemed so familiar but looked away after a while, unable to think of anything with the distraction of his piercing stare and the wafting scent of his cologne.

She stepped back, the proximity between them too close for comfort.

She cleared her throat, going back to business. 'You're the boss?'

'I'm the boss,' he affirmed, irritation laced in his voice.

'Okay,' she nodded, ignoring his tone. She didn't really necessarily need to make this a bigger deal than it already was. 'Is there somewhere we can talk in private?'

He nodded, albeit instead of asking her to follow him he had Mindy escort her to his office as he walked out of the building to answer his ringing phone.

Mindy lead her to the 23rd floor where his office was located and behind the elevator doors revealed a spacious room with ceiling to floor windows, a black leather couch and just a simple glass desk with an iMac perched on top.

'He'll be with you soon,' Mindy told her.

She nodded, crossing her legs. 'Thank you.'

She left soon enough and just when she thought he had finally decided to meet with her, it turns out that it was yet another staff who was told by Mindy to ask her if she wanted any drinks.

'No thank you,' she shook her head. 'How long do I have to wait here?'

'Just a few more minutes, ma'am,' she replied, leaving the door open this time when she left.

Caroline was fuming. Not only was she going to file a complaint to his boss and that boss' boss before him, she was going to make sure her car never got fixed in their company ever again. She understood that he might be a busy man, but he could've just given her five minutes of his precious time!

But no, he walked out and wasn't even likely coming back.

Enraged, and very dissatisfied with their service, she decided to leave but just before she was about to step out of the room, he finally arrived with another one of his staff by his side.

'I'm sorry, but who are you?' He scowled.

'You've got to be kidding me,' she scoffed, shaking her head. 'You told me to wait in your office. You told me. You. And now you're asking who am I?'

He sighed. 'Leave, April.'

The girl nodded and followed his orders immediately, closing the glass doors behind her.

'How much do you want?' He asked, pulling out his wallet. 'Will five thousand cover it?'

'Are you bribing me?!' She cried, stomping towards him in anger. 'I can't believe it. I'm going to sue your company. I'm going to sue the hell out of your stupid ass company and I'm going to bring you down!'

'Wait, we didn't sleep together?'

'Why in the world would I sleep with someone like you!' She yelled in frustration, wishing she had a razor so she could shave all his hair off. 'Seriously?! Do I look like a prostitute?!'

'I don't sleep with prostitutes,' he informed.

'Is that supposed to make it better?' She scowled. 'I can't believe this. I just came here to ask about my car because no one is telling me anything about it and I'm mistaken as some whore who would sleep with a jerk!'

'Calm down, love,' he laughed. 'It was just a misunderstanding.'

'I'm done,' she sighed, too tired to argue. 'I've waited here for over an hour only to be treated like this. I don't care if it was just a misunderstanding. You should know better, I mean for someone who leads an entire company? Wow!'

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, not giving him a chance to explain.

'I'll pull my car out of your shop and I won't sue you because people like your assistant and the rest of your staff are probably good people and they don't deserve to lose their jobs when your company goes down in flames,' she huffed. 'I hope the next time a customer calls about their car, you tell them what they need to hear.'

She walked out of the room after that, leaving him to pick up his jaw from the floor.

* * *

Like when she had been a teenager with pimples and oily hair, one of the few stress relieving things Caroline did was yoga, and after that talk with the jerk at Mikaelson Motors, she really needed all the yoga she could muster. Her chi had been greatly disturbed.

So upon reaching home and finding out Stefan was still out with the boys, she locked herself in the meditation room in the east wing of the Manor after throwing on the first appropriate outfit for her activity.

She was so furious and even with the incense she lit up diffusing in the room and soft music playing in the background, she _still_ couldn't rid her mind of that European ass. He was so different from Thomas, but at the same time such a horrible reminder of him.

Still, even with all that interference, she continued to do various poses and hope that she'll eventually forget about that embarrassing incident.

She realized after a while that maybe she had been wrong too. It was an honest to God misunderstanding and if he was really as powerful as he looked then he might just sue _her_ instead for threatening to kind of burn his company to the ground.

'No way,' she whispered, horrified with what she concluded.

If he was going to sue her, she could represent herself in court and she might just have a chance in winning. There was no way she was going to drag her family name with her, not with everything her father had done for her.

She started panicking, the one thing she was never ever supposed to do.

Caroline was diagnosed with claustrophobia ever since she was seven, the fear resulting after being locked in enclosed spaces by her brother, Damon.

It started when she was five and they would play hide and seek. She'd end up locked in the supplies closet for over three hours. It had once gotten so bad that the her parents called the police, thinking she was missing only to find out from a crying Stefan that Damon threatened to throw his toys in the pool if he told on him.

Safe to say Damon never did such a thing after being sent to live with their grandparents in Florida.

She lost balance and fell on the mat, her breathing beginning to clog her whole throat. She unlocked the room and ran out immediately, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly.

'D-Damon!' She yelled, knowing his room was the closest to where she was and that he was home after seeing his car on the driveway. 'D-Damon!'

Tears began falling as she realized he wasn't going to come, making her condition even worse. She found Cecile running towards her, a disposable inhaler in hand and thanked the Gods she had heard her.

She took it from her hold immediately, pulling the cap off and shaking it before exhaling and placing the device between her lips. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it off and stayed still for a few seconds before breathing out slowly.

She wiped the fallen tears on her cheeks, sighing in relief that the little episode was over. It's been so long since she's had an attack and it was all because of that blue-eyed, smirking, love-calling asshole of a man.

'Thanks, Cecile,' she smiled.

'Are you sure you're okay now, Ms. Caroline?' Cecile asked anxiously, her brow furrowed so hard it could almost touch.

'Yes,' she affirmed. 'Can you just not tell my dad and Stefan? I don't want them to worry about such a small thing.'

She nodded, leaving her to herself once again.

Unlike her past attacks where Caroline was rushed to the hospital, she had slowly began healing in time. It was true what they said, a little positivity in life could go a long way. By the age of 12, she was able to ride a car without closing the windows and it just kept improving by the time she was shipped off to London.

Maybe one of the reasons as to why she had another episode was due to the fact that it had indeed been years since it happened and not only was she terrified of what would've happened if she was sued but also about having another anxiety attack.

In addition to that, the fear of being alone when it happened didn't help at all.

She wondered for a minute if not telling her father and Stefan was the right thing to do, but ultimately decided that it would only make them overthink and cause unnecessary stress if they found out and that was something she didn't want to happen.

It was better left in the dark for the sake of everyone.

* * *

_Thank you for the reviews. I appreciate it so much._

_This story will most probably take quite a while because I really don't want to rush anything. If something seems confusing, you'll soon realize that it will all be explained later on in the story as it progresses._

_Mystery Girl3, no, Stefan is not the father and as I said above, it will all make sense later on._

_I also wanted to tell you guys that if you ever want something to happen (like per se a KC trip in the future), then just feel free to tell me. _

_Once again, thank you for giving my story a chance. :-)_

Penn.


End file.
